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Crucible Armors (Chapter)
Intro Crucible Armors are the armors created after the formation of the Verditian Steel-Works. Much like the War-Bound Generation Weaponry, they are further classified into Prototypes and Generations. The Prototype in the prototype.]] The prototype was the first real attempt to make a suit of samurai armor. The prototype ended up being a completely functional piece of armor, but there were some issues with it: The lacing holes were adapted from a previous leather sode, so they were spaced further apart than traditional armors. This resulted in the improper odoshi appearance of X's and separated lines. Features * Painted 1.22MM unhardened mild steel plates * Spooled shooter-lace for odoshi * 4-plate square kusazuri * 4 plate front tateage / 4 plate back tateage (upper chest/back plates) * Round profile in the front and back * Small wakiita (the plates under the armpits) * ]]European weave chain-portions * Prototype varients of the kote, haidate, and suneate Problems * The lacing condensed more than expected, making the punched holes very visible. * Paint chipped very quickly * The lacing on spools easily frayed and caused a lot of problems when attempting to reduce waste. ** While unknown at the time, not having aglets was a major contributor to excessive fraying. * The kusazuri, not being hardened, would actually bend when a lothtarian rammed into them. * the tiny wakiita left major gaps in the front of the armor, and didnt offer proper support for the tateage (upper chest plates) * The watagami (shoulder straps) were made from 1.22mm steel, so it would bend under pressure * The round profile of the armor left major gaps in the armor * The rivets were not always strong enough * Aluminum oval rings Generation One in a late-generation 1 armor.]] The steel works in central didn't have access to any samurai armor when they developed the prototype. So as they worked on it many issues became obvious. The jump from prototype to generation 1 was massive. Not only did the armors look a lot better, but they felt better to wear. In generation 1, many verditians received armor and for the first time ever, Japanese armor became the new normal armor. Features * Different finish options ** Ranging from a 7-stage painted finish, to a 4-stage enameled finish * Hardened 1.22mm mild steel on the sode, kusazuri, and watagami * Thicker odoshi with aglets * 5-plate tapered kusazuri * 4 plate front tateage / 4 plate back tateage (upper chest/back plates) * Curved back plate to properly make a tighter fit on the body. * Properly shaped bottom plates of the do to allow better movement * Larger wakiita (the plates under the armpits) * Properly spaced lacing holes to make a full and proper look * Introduction of decorative options ** Including ridging, expanded lacing, etc. * .]]Introduction of differing styles of Do (chest armor) * 1.52mm watagami (shoulder straps) * Padding under the watagami * Japanese-styled kusari (chain) ** Iron oval rings * Upgraded to heavy-duty rivets * Introduction of style options for kote, suneate, etc. * Added an Antioch symbol stamp for leather portions of the armor * Added sinew as a stitching material Problems * The finish on armor was still not durable enough to withstand heavy use. Armors had to be touched up every month * Some plates in the armor were put under too much strain and it would cause the lacing to rip * The kusari portions included iron connector rings that would rip apart * Despite our best efforts, the bottom-weight fabrics used for the armor were not strong enough to withstand heavy abuse * Sode straps often broke * Sode would flap up and strike the wearer in the head * Sometimes the stitching between plates and fabric bases would rip Generation Two .]] Even though all the major improvements in generation 1, there were still some daunting issues that we couldn't seem to correct. It took major investments into R&D to finally be able to reliably do in-house powder-coating. Not only that, but all armor pieces were hardened or tempered to ensure they would not rip apart. The new finish on armor, while obviously not indestructible, was extremely durable comparatively. So much so that removing it from the plates took special compounds, flap disks, and a lot of elbow grease. It also allowed for more options and impressive gloss levels. Features * Powder coated finish * Full tempered stainless kusari * Reinforcement stitching to reduce odoshi ripping in high stress areas * Doubled up stitching on plates connected to fabric * Utilizes much heavier grade fabric to avoid ripping * More decorative options * Introduction of Tatami armor * Introduction of Kelm-Class Armor * Better drafting techniques to ensure odoshi holes line up * Better tools for securing and shaping plates * .]]5 plate front tateage / 6 plate back tateage (upper chest/back plates) * Introduction of kebiki odoshi (very full lacing) * Stronger connections between the sode and watagami (shoulder straps) * Better full-sleeved kote * Development of full-suneate * Introduction of kabuto (helmets) Problems * Unknown